“Gee whiz, Harden!  We thought you were finished!” exclaimed the tallest of the trio.

“I would have been, but for these folks,” replied Harden.  “Here, let’s make some introductions!”

They were stalwart fellows.  Milton, the leader, was sandy-haired and freckled, a University of California man.  Agnew was stocky and swarthy, an old Princeton graduate and Forrester, a thin, blonde chap had worked in New York City before he joined the Geological Survey.  They were astonished by this meeting in the Canyon, but delighted beyond measure.  They had been on the river for seven months and up to this time had met no one except when they went out for supplies.

“We camped up above those rapids, last night,” said Milton.  “Of course we didn’t know of this spot.  We really had nothing but a ledge, up there.  This morning Harden undertook to patch his boat, with this result.”  He nodded toward the shivering cast-a-way, who had crowded himself to Na-che’s fire.  “Have you folks any objection to our stopping here to make repairs?”

“Lord, no!  Glad to have you!” said Mack.

Enoch laughed.  “Mack, it’s no use!  You and Curly are doomed to take on guests as surely as a dog takes on fleas.  They started out alone, Milton, for a little vacation prospecting trip.  I caught them a few days out and made them take me on.  Then Miss Allen came along last night, and now your outfit!  I’m sorry for you, Mack.”

“I’ll try to live through it,” grinned Mack.

“Did you fellows find any pay gravel, coming down?” asked Curly.

“We didn’t look for any,” answered Agnew, “But a few years ago, I picked this out of the river bed.”

He showed Curly a nugget as large as a pea.  “Where the devil did you find that?” exclaimed Curly, eagerly.

“I can show you on our map,” replied Agnew.

“I’ll go fifty-fifty with you,” proffered Curly.  “Me to do all the work.”

“No, you won’t,” laughed Agnew.  “Say, old man, I put in four years, trying to make money out of the Colorado and I swear, the only real cash I’ve ever made on it has been the magnificent wages the Secretary of the Interior allows me.  I’ll keep the nugget.  You can have whatever else you find there.  Believe me, you’ll earn it, before you get it!”

“You’re foolish but I’m on!  Mack, when shall we move?”

“I want to know a lot more before I break up my happy home.”  Mack’s voice was dry.  “In the meantime you fellows make yourselves comfortable.  Come on, Curly.  Let’s get back to work!”

“Mr. Curly,” said Jonas, “will you let me see that nugget?”

“Sure, Jonas, here it is!”

Jonas turned it over on his brown palm.  “You mean to say you pick up gold like that, down here?”

“That’s what I did,” replied Agnew.

“Kin any one do it?”

“Yes, sir!”

“How come it everybody ain’t down here doing it right now?”